Fluorometers are known instruments with which the fluorescence and phosphorescence characteristics of chemicals in response to the exposure of ultraviolet (UV) light can be measured. Such instruments are commonly referred to as fluorescence spectrophotometers. Articles have been published on various fluorescence analysis of oils in response to UV radiation. See, for example, a 1973 publication entitled, "Single Wavelength Fluorescence Excitation For On-Site Oil Spill Identification", authored by J. Richard Jadamec and presented as part of the Proceedings of the Second Conference On Environmental Quality Sensors held Oct. 10-11, 1973, in Las Vegas, Nev., and sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Offices of Research and Development and Monitoring Systems. Of interest is an article published by William A. Coakley entitled, "Comparative Identification Of Oil Spills by Fluorescence Fingerprinting".
During the early seventies, a fluorescent oil detector system was developed to detect spills of a specific type of oil, a No. 6 fuel. An article on the buoy system was published and presented by one of the inventors of this application at the 15th and 27th Pittsburgh Conferences On Analytical Chemistry And Applied Spectroscopy held in Cleveland, Ohio, respectively on Mar. 4-8, 1974 and Mar. 3-7, 1975. The buoy involved a central sensor support structure which placed a UV light source and a fluorescence detector a short distance above the water line. A number of buoy floating arms extended out from the central structure. The system was capable of detecting the No. 6 fuel during day and night time.
Although fluorescence techniques for the detection of oil spills have been developed, a need exists to enable a reliable and rapid detection and analysis of oil so as to alert an operator of the occurrence of a spill with a minimum of false alarms. This would enable an operator to monitor a plurality of sensors distributed at a variety of key locations around oil shipping tankers, at discharge docks, or at farms where many storage tanks are located.